Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
Mission Statement
The mission of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) is to strengthen global defenses against infectious disease by ensuring access to effective treatment and promoting appropriate antibiotic use to contain drug resistance. With a network of affiliated colleagues, APUA stands as the world’s leading organisation conducting research and education on antimicrobial treatment and resistance at the grassroots and global levels.
Dr Thomas O’Brien (1929 - 2024)
Colleagues of APUA are deeply saddened to hear of the recent passing of Dr Thomas O’Brien, previous Vice President of APUA.
Dr Thomas F. O'Brien was the first director of the division of infectious diseases at what is now Brigham and Women's Hospital and warned of the increasing danger of antimicrobial resistance decades ago.
Together with Dr John Stelling, Dr O’Brien codirected and cofounded the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance.
On behalf of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA), Dr O'Brien was instrumental in preparing the WHO report on "Antibiotic resistance: synthesis of recommendations by expert policy groups" in 2001 with then APUA President, Prof. Stuart B. Levy. You can read that report here
Dr O'Brien leaves a strong legacy in the field of antimicrobial resistance and our thoughts are with his family and friends and this very sad time. Read more about Dr O'Brien in this heartfelt obituary in the Boston Globe Media.
APUA supports WAAW 2024
APUA was founded in 1981 by Prof. Stuart B. Levy as a global non-profit organisation with the goals of improving antimicrobial use and containing antibiotic resistance worldwide. It was the first organisation to address antibiotic preservation and now under the auspices of ISAC, continues its mission to improve and strengthen society’s defences against infectious diseases through improved antimicrobial availability and usethrough various initiatives (webinars, position papers, symposia, antibiotic cards etc).
APUA has an international Board of Directors but has recently opened up membership to individuals all around the world to further promote and highlight global AMS / AMR issues.
Interested in joining our growing network of international colleagues?
ISAC Abx Guide
In collaboration with Radboud University Medical Centre (Radboudumc) in the Netherlands and the American University of Beirut Medical Centre (AUBMC) in Lebanon, ISAC developed an open access online antimicrobial treatment guideline for global application (ISAC AbxGuide) intended to provide guidance on antibiotic treatment of common infectious diseases in an easy-to-use modular format that can be adapted to different settings.
The main aim is to address the gaps causing inappropriate antibiotic use in low-resource settings. The content is intended to be as much as possible applicable to all settings taking into consideration evidence-based medicine including clinical studies and international guidelines and where possible using pragmatic priority listing between alternative treatment options. The gathered evidence of directed treatment advice for the major bacterial infectious diseases and resistance phenotypes will be presented in a free-access online interactive ISAC AbxGuide platform.
AMR in low resource settings and / or displaced populations webinar
On-demand recording coming soon!
The joint ISAC / ESCMID webinar which aims to explore the challenges of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low-resource settings and displaced populations, highlighting practical solutions for infection control is happening tomorrow. It seeks to promote global collaboration and innovative strategies to address AMR in these vulnerable communities. Join our expert panelists who will shine the spotlight on AMR in resource challenged areas and populations.
Speakers: Dr Rana Hajjeh, Dr Guido Granata
Moderators: Prof. Souha Kanj, Prof. Robert Skov
ISAC/APUA Newsletter - Special UNGA edition
The International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC) and the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) are delighted to share a special issue of ISAC / APUA Newsletter to mark the important occasion of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR taking place today (26 September) in New York.
The meeting is an opportunity for world leaders to collectively address the urgent threat AMR poses to global health, food security and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
After demonstrating its continued commitment to fighting antimicrobial resistance, ISAC received special accreditation to attend. Representing ISAC at the meeting is Prof. David Jenkins (ISAC Executive Committee member).
Read his editorial on the proposed Declaration which is the main focus of today's UNGA high-level AMR meeting.
United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR
David JenkinsAntibiotic shortages: an overview
Huong Vu Thi Lan, Miki Nagao, Fatima Allaw, Linus Ndegwa, Gabriel Levy Hara, Souha S. Kanj, Pierre TattevinAntimicrobial stewardship: a One Health perspective
Fatma Abdelaziz Amer and Manar G. GebrielThe development of the ABX Guide: a pathogen-directed consensus guideline for antimicrobial use in resource-constrained settings
Hind Kadri, Neda Milevska-Kostova, Souha Kanj, Heiman Wertheim
The newsletter also features details on ISAC and APUA's latest free educational activities. Please email secretariat@isac.world with any suggestions for future articles. View / download the newsletter here
APUA webinars | Invitation to attend
We are pleased to share details of two short webinars hosted by the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) happening next week. We are hosting two webinars to ensure we cover as many time zones as possible.
The main aim of these webinars is to identify and prioritise the objectives of existing APUA members. But we also invite colleagues interested in joining APUA to attend.
There will be a short introduction / overview of ISAC and APUA and a presentation from one of our Project Grant Awardees. The majority of the webinar will be devoted to group discussion so we can decide how we can best serve our members.
To attend the webinars, please register using the links below. There are two registration links so if you want to join both webinars, please sign up to each one).
Places are limited and existing members will receive priority.
18 September, 17.00 - 18.00 CET
REGISTER
19 September, 10.00 - 11.00 CET
REGISTER
Introducing the ABX Guide
We are excited to announce a series of six webinars to mark the launch of the ABX Guide, an open-access antibiotic treatment guideline focused on pathogen-directed treatment in resource-constrained settings. The ABX Guide will be accessible through an open access website.
These webinars will delve into the relevance of the ABX Guide and the development process behind its treatment recommendations. We will explore its application across various geographic regions, featuring speakers who will highlight related projects and initiatives. Join us to engage with experts and stakeholders in the field, and contribute to advancing global health through informed antibiotic stewardship.
The next webinar in the series to launch the ABX Guide, an open-access antibiotic treatment-guide focussed on pathogen-directed treatment for resource-constrained settings, is taking place on 17 September.
Antibiotic susceptibility patterns used for epidemiologic surveillance of Staphylococcus aureus
There have been recent studies in the US and Spain showing emerging resistance in MSSA to macrolides and to tetracyclines. ST398 S. aureus strains, initially identified as “livestock associated MRSA” are a fascinating example. Studies of clinical S. aureus strains have in some cases included molecular epidemiology suggesting that ST398 S. aureus strains may be responsible for a change in the relative prevalence of strains causing clinically significant disease. Other studies have examined national or transnational emergence of various increasingly common strains of MRSA and MSSA, using susceptibility patterns to track strain emergence or change over time. Listen to this webinar and hear from 3 experts in the field on these topics.
On-demand | Antifungal resistance in Candida and Aspergillus
Fungal infections, in their various manifestations, affect millions of people worldwide and cause a very high morbidity and mortality. The new threats in the field of invasive mycoses and the new drugs recently available are reviewed in this webinar by internationally recognised experts.
1. Epidemiology of Fungal Infections with a focus in antifungal resistance - Dr Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo
2. Detection of antifungal resistance: from MICs to SNPs - Dr Jesús Guinea
3. Clinical impact & new therapeutic options for managing antifungal resistant fungi - Dr Antonio Vena
Antibiotic cards - Vietnamese translations
We are delighted to share the Vietnamese translations of five cards for antibiotics commonly used in Vietnam.
We are very grateful to our colleagues from the Antimicrobial Stewardship Research Collaboration between Oxford University Clinical Research Unit and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases Vietnam for translating these cards.
"Antibiotics are uniquely societal drugs because individual use affects others in the community and environment. Better stewardship, incentives, and establishment of a special regulatory category will improve how they are used, marketed, and developed through incentives to industry."
Stuart B. Levy, M.D.
President of APUA, professor at Tufts University School of Medicine
From the IOM 25th Anniversary Symposium (1996) and The Antibiotic Paradox (2002)
